Amy on Organizing Records

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention web site links to states and territories for users who want direct access to individual state and territory information. To use this valuable tool, you must first determine the state or area where the birth, death, marriage, or divorce occurred, then click on that state or area.

In many cases you can contact the courthouse for the county where the birth, death, marriage, or divorce occurred to get a certified copy of the needed document.

The Social Security Number (SSN) is a nine-digit number issued to United States citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents. The Social Security Administration began issuing numbers through local post offices in November 1935. More than 453,000,000 have been issued to date. At a rate of 5,500,000 new numbers a year, the current numbering system will last for several generations with no changes in the numbering system.

You apply for an SSN or to replace a card by completing Application for a Social Security Number Card (Form SS-5). You will be required to show original documents proving U.S. citizenship or immigration status, age, and identity. Parents can make application for a newborn child at the same time they provide information for a birth certificate.

You need to protect your SSN as you would any other confidential information. The SSN is a key piece of data commonly used to perpetrate identity theft. Do not carry your card with you. Be very careful about sharing your card and number to prevent misuse. If asked for your SSN, the Social Security Administration recommends you ask:

• Why your number is needed,
• How your number will be used,
• What happens if you refuse, and
• What law requires you to give your SSN.

Use the answers to decide whether you will share your SSN.

Be proactive to prevent medical identity theft by taking these measures:

• Guard your health insurance identity card as you would your credit cards.
• Insist your healthcare providers check your ID when you present your health insurance identity card.
• Don’t give out personal or medical information on the phone or in writing until you verify your contact.
• Be especially careful about any free offers.
• Monitor your Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statements and report any discrepancies.
• Review your medical records regularly to ensure accurate data.
• Shred health insurance forms and prescription information.

and, as you should already be doing to prevent financial identity theft:

• Get free credit reports.

Landmark studies* by the Ponemon Institute estimate the average cost of medical identity theft per victim is $20,663. 

Victims first learn about the medical identity theft upon

• receipt of a collection letter (46%) 
• discovery of a mistake in health records (30%),
• a drop in credit score (16%),
• an alert from a healthcare provider (9%),
• errors posted to medical invoices (9%), or, least likely,
• a data breach notification (5%).

Consequences are far ranging beginning with:

• out-of-pocket payments (50%),
• termination by plan or provider (49%),
• increased insurance premiums (33%),
• time lost to correct errors (24%),
• diminished credit score (19%),
• mistreatment or misdiagnosis of illness (18% and 10%), and
• legal fees (14%).

An estimated 1.49 million Americans were affected by medical identity theft in 2011 for a national impact of $30.9 billion.

In instances where there has been a data breach rather than an individual theft, the cause is most usually

• a lost or stolen computing device (49%) followed by
• a third-party mistake—perhaps by a business associate (46%), and
• an unintentional employee action (41%).

A data breach caused by a

• criminal attack (30%) or
• malicious insider (14%)

is much less likely.

Data breaches are most likely to be detected by

• an employee (51%), followed by 
• an audit/assessment (43%) or
• a patient complaint (35%).

Once a breach is detected, it takes an average of seven weeks to notify affected patients despite the widespread belief that it is critical to notify victims as soon as possible.

*All statistics cited are from the Ponemon Institute's Second Annual Survey on Medical Identity Theft, a survey of adult-aged individuals (March 2011), or the Study on Patient Privacy and Data Security, a survey of hospitals and healthcare organizations (December 2011).

Medical identity theft is a variation on identity theft, the theft of your personal information. Medical identity theft can affect your finances and your health. Learn to recognize the signs of medical identity theft:

• Bills for medical services you didn’t receive;
• Explanation of Benefits (EOB) statement that does not match services you received;
• Contacts from debt collectors about medical debt you don’t owe;
• Medical collection notices you don’t recognize on your credit report;
• Your health insurer denies a legitimate claim and says you’ve reached your limit on benefits; or
• You are denied insurance because your medical records show a condition you don’t have.

Medical identity theft may alter your medical and health insurance records. Inaccurate records can lead to inappropriate treatment which, in turn, could worsen your condition.

As you prepare to file your tax return, take time to organize your records regarding medical expenses. Although you must meet a threshold in order to take the deduction, you cannot make that calculation unless you have retained your records and added up your expenses. You may be surprised to learn what you may include such as mileage or travel expenses plus meals and lodging if you go out of town for care.

Even if you do not reach the threshold for the deduction or do not itemize, there’s another use for compiling your medical expenses. Use this data to estimate the set aside amount for a Flexible Spending Account (FSA). Using an FSA allows you to pay qualified medical expenses with pre-tax dollars. However, it’s critical not to overestimate your expenses because you will forfeit any dollars remaining in your account at the end of the plan year.

See IRS Publication 502 for details regarding qualified medical expenses.

   Getting organized is one the top ten most common New Year’s resolutions, second only to losing weight. While less than half of the population makes resolutions, even fewer keep them. Only 71 percent keep a resolution past the first two weeks of the year. Yet, despite the fact people often do not keep their resolutions, research shows that making resolutions is still worthwhile. People who make resolutions or set goals are ten times more likely to attain their goals than those who do not set a conscious goal.

   If you are among those who have already let your resolution slide, give yourself a “do-over.” Start your New Year over with the Chinese New Year and re-affirm your resolution to get organized. It’s the Year of the Dragon, considered the luckiest in the 12-year Chinese Zodiac. Maybe with some extra luck, you’ll keep your resolution this time.

"Eliminate physical clutter. More importantly,
eliminate spiritual clutter."
Terri Guillemets

   Physical clutter and spiritual clutter are not two distinct types of clutter; they are related. If you address one, the other will improve. When you eliminate physical clutter, your mind becomes clearer. When you eliminate distractions, your physical environment becomes less cluttered. Whenever I find myself at a crossroads or unclear about how to tackle a problem, I clean out a drawer or a closet. Throwing something away gets the energy moving again and the way forward soon becomes clear.

Over the holiday weekend I managed to catch a home & garden television show about celebrity Candy Spelling’s 56,500 sq. ft .manor house and her subsequent downsize to a condo the size of her former attic. Candy was married to television producer Aaron Spelling until his death in 2006. Mind you most of us have about 1,800 sq. ft. and downsize to 1,000 sq. ft., but the issues are still the same. I was amazed at how organized Candy is with all her stuff, from doll collections to Christmas decorations. Everything had a code and a place. When it came time for her to move, in less than 30 days, she was able to get it done without a single hair out of place. 

That’s where we need to be in our paperwork lives. Everyone should have all of their important documents from wills to bills organized and easy to find for those of us that get left behind to handle the details. My father had dementia the last 5 years of his life and kept horrible records but I was blessed to have a good friend of his who was also an attorney handle all of it for me. I hate to think where I would be if he hadn’t stepped in and helped me. He also took it upon himself at that time to organize my mother’s documents. How was I supposed to know that you would need a certificate to bury someone or have the forethought to keep cash aside in my name to pay for immediate expenses after death? 

The other point to make with this blog is that both Candy and I paid someone to help get things organized. Most of us are not organizationally minded or have the time so paying someone to help is well worth the time and expense. Here’s to a year of organized paperwork in 2012.

Guest Blogger Samantha Young, Experienced Executrix & Regional Manager for Nurses Unlimited

As of January 1, 2012, paper savings bonds are no longer available for sale at financial institutions. Instead, electronic savings bonds in Series EE and I are available for purchase from TreasuryDirect.^® The move to electronic transactions will save American taxpayers an estimated $120 million over the next five years according to the Bureau of the Public Debt.

Investors will benefit from this easy and convenient way to purchase and manage bonds. They will stay organized without having to worry about misplacing, losing, or storing paper certificates.

Investors can open a TreasuryDirect^® account for free and perform these functions:

• Buy, manage, and redeem Series EE and I electronic savings bonds.
• Convert Series EE and I paper savings bonds to electronic through the SmartExchange^® feature
• Purchase electronic savings bonds as a gift.
• Enroll in a payroll savings plan for purchasing electronic bonds.
• Invest in other Treasury securities—bills, notes, bonds, and TIPS (Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities).

To open a TreasuryDirect^® account, you will need to provide personal information, including the following:

• Social Security Number
• E-mail address
• U.S. address of record
• Bank account and routing number.

Then you will be asked to choose:

• Password
• Password reminder
• Personalized image
• Caption, and
• Security questions.

You must have a Web browser that supports 128-bit encryption for secure transactions.